


Museum Madness

by parisienneNYC



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-11-06 03:39:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11027841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parisienneNYC/pseuds/parisienneNYC
Summary: Everyone is up to something shady, including Remus, all around the world. Remus goes to London and meets Sirius. However, he does not act upon the interaction. However, after Remus gets caught for something he has not done, he will have to find Sirius Black again.





	1. PART ONE: INTERVALLO

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy!

PART ONE: INTERVALLO

If measured, Remus Lupin's heart rate would have been the highest at that very moment than it had ever been in his short twenty-two years on the Earth.

"What do you mean you're taking me?" he roared over the hubbub of the city below. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Remus had just arrived from San Francisco four months ago to pursue a PhD. The fast-paced life of the East Coast was something he still had to get used to. The glittering neon lights of Chinatown, the jaywalking, the crowded, sweaty subway stations, the explosive parties and the treacherous traffic he could get used to. They hadn't rattled him very much yet. But now, he was standing in his living room, utterly rattled.

Is getting arrested in the middle of the night the norm in cities like this? He had gone out with his new friend James that evening. The whole lot of them had gone out: Gideon, Fabian, Marlene, Dorcas, Frank, Benjy, Emmeline. Although he had only met James two days ago, he found him to be very agreeable. James and his friends were the most popular at university, and loved by all. They were turning out to be his first real friends in the new city.

Remus had in fact, been surprised, when James had taken a liking to him two days ago.

As per his usual schedule, Remus had been stretched out on his park bench. It was the last class of the day and because the weather was rapidly turning warm, the students were skipping in droves. Multitudinous, they wandered the park, sitting under the shade, by the river and falling asleep on park benches.

Remus fell amongst the latter category. He was currently stretched out on the bench, completely immersed in the Brief History of Time. He was trying not to think of a certain pair of dark eyes. Out of the corner of his eye he registered James Potter and his friends had come and plopped themselves down by the nearest tree. Blinking the sun out of his eyes, Remus glanced around.

The bright light reflected off the gleaming skyline certainly did not help Remus in this matter. He dazedly saw that James was on his laptop FaceTiming someone. Marlene was leaning over James' shoulder and teasing the person on the laptop. "You're such an idiot, who told you to go to Moldova yesterday?"

The reply was faint, and a moment later James was announcing to raucous laughter: "He says he needed to see the once-unhappiest country in the world for himself."

Fabian grinned. "Of course, that makes us—"

"Very, very proud," finished Fabian. "A mark of a true prankster is to explore for his own."

"I most certainly agree, my dear sir," nodded James in affirmation, without a trace of mirth.

Fabian and Gideon had been legendary pranksters in their time at the university. James and his friends (mostly James) had vowed to keep the legacy going, and it was widely known that James took the twins' words as law.

The twins had come to the city from England to go to university. They had been followed by James. All three of them had been old friends since childhood. They had also attended the same high school. Fabian and Gideon were now working in the city: one in the fashion industry and the other at Wall Street. James, having finished his under-grad was now pursuing post-graduate studies in Biotechnology and thus, was in a lot of Remus' classes. James still retained his British accent; and even though he had been in the city for four years, he still claimed to be confused by the city. He was now being wrestled to the ground by Emmeline and Benjy. The laptop lay forgotten on the ground, webcam facing his way.

Remus' stomach gave a slight jolt. He wished he had had been better at making friends. Even back in San Francisco, he had had no friends. Of course, he had classmates who were nice to him, but he had never had a real friend. His secluded childhood had caused that.

Remus quickly cleared his mind of the bitter thoughts. He tried to focus on the book, but the sun was too hot. He was trying and trying to grasp what Hawking had meant in the second chapter when—

"Blimey, mate. You look like you need a break from all that studying." James Potter was hovering above him.

"I'm not studying, it's just light reading," Remus blurted out and felt stupid. Why can't I be better at talking?

"That is not light reading!" James interrupted. "You're in my Mechanics IV class aren't you? Why don't you come and sit with us?"

"Aren't you busy FaceTiming your friend?" Remus asked hesitantly.

"Nah mate, I finished that ages ago. Come have a drink with us." James looked very eager. "I need some calm friends."

Remus smiled. James seemed genuine. "Sure, I'd love to," he said.

Over the course of the two days James had found out that an uninhibited Remus was the exact opposite of calm. Remus was also surprised to find himself that the top of a bar table with Dorcas loudly belting out Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You." And Remus wasn't even tipsy. And Remus was most definitely not thinking about a pair of dark eyes.

And now Remus was most definitely not being arrested.

"You have the right to remain silent. If you do say anything, what you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult with a lawyer and have that lawyer present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you if you so desire. If you choose to talk—"

"Aren't you listening? I didn't do anything!" Remus was exasperated. Here he was, a graduate PhD student working on his Antimatter dissertation and having a nice dinner in his flannels when his door was rudely broken at two in the morning.

The two officers glared at him. "We have occurred a warrant for your arrest," one of them said. "Our division head, Alice said you were responsible." He was burly and well-built, someone that Remus did not want to argue with.

"What am I being arrested, for then?" Remus snapped, holding his thick Particle Physics textbook like a weapon.

The other one, a red-haired woman of his age flashed him her FBI detective badge. The gleam in her green eyes was disturbing. She was a woman he did not want to cross.

"You, sir, are under arrest for committing the murder of Sirius Orion Black."

Remus gasped and for the second time that night his heart rate peaked as he glanced down into the dark, bustling metropolis of New York City.

And as he was dragged away along the wide, swanky shops of fifth avenue, he remembered the story of how he had met Sirius Black, the owner of the dark eyes.


	2. PART TWO: ESPOSIZIONE Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This is my first story and I'm so excited! So, this part will give you a bit of a backstory of Remus and Sirius. While they won't be meeting until next chapter, you will get some insight on what their lives are. It will also build the suspense! Thanks for reading and please review! Constructive criticism is wanted. Also, some of my ideas are from Moonsign's Casting Moonshadows. Please do go check it out if you haven't already. Also ideas from random tumblr posts :)
> 
> —Rhea

PART TWO: ESPOSIZIONE

CHAPTER ONE

FIVE MONTHS AGO

These Italians. Remus' thoughts weren't exactly positive at this moment in December. He was stuck in a luxurious Roman hotel with a beautiful movie star, a raging party and heaps of food. To others, this was the exact opposite of a problem, but to Remus this was the very epitome of a catastrophe. Curse the person who is holding me here!

His thoughts were not very positive at that moment. What am I doing in Italy? Oh, right, tracking down the person who has ruined our lives. Why isn't the police doing this instead? Oh, that's right, because my father is an illegal immigrant and we might expose him if we show ourselves. But why am I here?

Chiara De Romano turned her attention to him. "Remus, mio amico," she said with the odd, high-lilting voice that all Italians had. "Why do you not enjoy yourself?" She flourished her well-manicured hand towards the banquet lain out before us. "Do you wish to go to the party downstairs?" From her tone of voice, it was evident she wanted to go.

Chiara was only brilliant in name. Other than that, her name severely contradicted her. She had dark and elegant hair and her haughty, heavily-lidded eyes were rimmed by long, black lashes. Her olive complexion made her seem like a Mediterranean princess. Her dark humour and vengeful nature were a legend among Italians.

Remus had known Chiara since a long time. They had been childhood friends.

Remus sighed. "No, Chiara, but you can go if you want to."

She flashed a red-lipped smile. "Only to come back upstairs and find that my favorite American has broken out of his hotel room and stolen the limousine?"

That was his exact plan. "No, of course not, Chiara. I would never do that to you." This, of course, was a complete lie. He cared little for Chiara. I need to get out of here. "But Chiara, you must enjoy yourself! Go down to the party. Don't worry about me." Chiara, the quintessential, rich, movie star down to a fault was easy to manipulate.

She looked hesitant. "But Rogelio told me not to leave you. He says it would be very rude."

Ah, then we both know you're not here out of the kindness of your heart. "Tell your boyfriend that the guest will be perfectly happy watching T.V." In reality, the Spanish soccer player was out to kill him. How did I get involved in this global criminal conspiracy?

Through some more wheedling, Chiara was heading to the party downstairs. Letting loose a deep breath, Remus stood up and began to formulate a strategy to get out. He grabbed a penknife for good measure.

Ten minutes later, he realized the only way out was through the window. "A deep dive into the urbs aeterna," he mumbled to himself. The problem, however, was that he was situated on the tenth floor of the hotel. He had to climb down, making his way through the treacherous balconies and window sills.

Yes, he was that desperate.

Taking a furtive look around the room, he climbed onto the window ledge, looked the grand, glittering city of Rome and very, very carefully reached out with his leg to the bottom ledge. Facing the wall, he took a deep breath and steadied himself. In this manner, he continued until the seventh floor, when he suddenly heard a scream.

He was staring into a nine-year-old girls face. She looked terrified to see a twenty-year old man hovering by the window ledge. "Who are you?" she whispered.

"Where are you parents?" Remus countered. "Why didn't they wake up?"

"At the party downstairs," the girl replied. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

Remus wondered what he had to lose and decided he had nothing to lose anyway. And she was a child. "Listen," he said. "I need to get out of the country as fast as possible. Do you know how?"

He was expecting her to say no when she replied, "Yes. Come in first, though."

He wordlessly landed in her room. He reflected on the strangeness of the situation. Here he was, in a foreign country, trying to escape a homicidal Spanish soccer player and his less-than-intelligent Italian movie star girlfriend. This was as a result of him trying to track down their boss, Fenrir Greyback to get his father's old property back. And now, here he was getting help from a nine-year-old. "What's your name?"

"Nymphadora Tonks. My cousin will help you." She led him down a narrow hallway with flickering lamps. She was looking at him with interest. "Why are you in trouble?"

"It's quite a long story."

"Then you will tell me one day," she said. She opened a wooden door that had suddenly appeared on their right.

Remus blinked. The whole encounter felt surreal. Nymphadora opened the door. She then opened a large crate and said, "Get in."

"What?"

"Get in to the crate, and be completely silent. My cousin will drive you out."

Remus did as he was told. The little girl stared him in the eyes. She then bent down and pressed a ring into his hands. "You will tell me the story one day." She smiled and shut the crate, leaving Remus with the darkness and thinking why the hell he had consented to this.

 

Sirius was having the time of his life. The party was loud and exuberant, his kind of party. He had been hit on by numerous girls; he had sung at the top of his voice and he had danced.

Of course, this went downhill as soon as the Necklace Thing happened. Andy was in tears. But Sirius had no time for any of that. Because the party was in chaos then, he needed to act. He needed to find the Fiat Veicoli Industriali Truck.

He went into the parking lot and saw the truck. It was loaded and everything. He sat in the driver's seat, prepared for what he was going to do.

And as he let go of the wheel and the truck careened to the side and crashed against the cold, metallic walls of the highway, he felt no remorse even as the canisters fell into the water. For a second, he could have sworn he overheard a grown man's voice calling "Help!" from the waters. But he had imagined it.

Then he glanced at the license plate, and his blood ran cold. Lots of people in Italy had the same truck.

Yes, Sirius was having the time of his life.

 

As the container fell into the river, with Remus Lupin trapped inside, it began to sink rapidly. Remus was panicking.

He should not have followed the advice of a little girl! Maybe that little girl was in cahoots with Greyback! He was definitely going to die.

Then he felt something against his leg. The penknife he had stolen from Chiara.

He began to work.

Nine-year-old Nymphadora Tonks was peering down into the city from her balcony. Rome was beautiful, she decided. Its beautiful spires and towers contrasted wonderfully with the old Roman architecture, giving it the grandiose effect it was so known for. She smiled. She wondered what the strange man she had saved was doing. Hopefully Cousin Sirius had dropped him off at the airport unknowingly and safely.

Suddenly the door crashed open, and in rushed her mother and Cousin Sirius. Both looked very troubled. Her mother was saying something to Sirius with the same look on her face when she wanted to scold Nymphadora. "How could you, Sirius, how could you? You stole the wrong truck?"

Nymphadora's insides turned to ice.

"I don't know Andy!" Cousin Sirius looked like he was halfway between laughing and crying.

"What did you do to the truck?" she asked. Has the strange man been discovered?

"I left it there. It was some poor Italian bloke's truck. I left some money on the dashboard, too. Hopefully he has enough money to bail himself out." What happened to the truck?

"Sirius Black!" Her mother held the same look of contempt her grandmother, Druella, used when she was angry at Nymphadora mother. "You cannot just take anyone's truck and—"

"What's going on?" Ted, her father stepped into the room. "I saw both of you leave the party suddenly." Nymphadora began to suspect that something had gone very wrong.

Cousin Sirius opened his mouth, but her mother beat him to it. "Sirius, in his vendetta against De Romano, crashed the goods' truck on purpose and made a mess."

"All the containers fell into the Tiber, too," replied Cousin Sirius, looking proud of himself.

Nymphadora felt like she had been struck by lightening. The containers were heavy, and it would be impossible to get out of them. And what if the man didn't know how to swim? This was all Sirius' fault. No, this was all her fault. She was the one who had put Remus Lupin into the containers. She had killed a man. This was too unreal. The room was spinning; her ears were ringing; she couldn't breathe and—

"Dora, baby, breathe," her mother urged.

"What's happening?" Her father gripped her arm tightly.

"Panic attack," she heard Cousin Sirius say faintly. "Dora, breathe in, breathe out," he said softly.

Slowly, she calmed down and the ringing and spinning stopped. "What happened to you, baby?" Her father asked.

"N-nothing," replied Nymphadora. "I was h-homesick."

"Oh, baby, it's ok," her mother whispered and pulled her close.

Through her mother's embrace, Nymphadora could see out the window into the streets of Rome. She saw the dark Tiber river snaking along the black night, glittering Roman lights reflected inside it. She then decided that no one would ever know about this. No one would find out. Druella, her grandmother used to say that things people didn't know couldn't hurt them. She would live with this guilt. It would eat her alive, but she would live. And if his body was ever found from the depths of the Tiber, who would ever suspect a little nine-year-old girl?

 

As Remus got off at the San Francisco Airport, he knew that his father would be dissapointed. But he had under-estimated his father. His father was livid. "What do you mean you couldn't find Greyback?"

Tears stung at Remus' eyes but he held his ground. "I told you, it was hard. And father, just let it go, I'll find him again. I told you I was trapped inside Rome."

"And you say you got out when you got into a truck crash? What story is this?" His father slapped him.

"Lyall!" Hope Lupin, his mother came between them. "Please don't fight. Remus, come home, and we'll discus this further."

It had been like this forever, too much had always been expected of Remus. Remus could not stand his father. He loved his mother, but she was spineless.

And he was bitter.

But all that was going to change, because he had just gotten accepted into Columbia.

 

Remus got off at the Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal on January the third and his immediate thoughts were disappointment. New York was nothing like the gleaming metropolis he had imagined. He could practically smell the filth on the floor. Then he climbed the stairs to Eight Street and his thoughts instantly changed.

There was no way to describe it. New York was pure sensory overload. There was simply too much going on at once. Remus could feel himself losing control of his situation quickly. He was bewildered and confused. People jostled him, cars honked at him, the towering skyscrapers loomed overhead ominously, hawkers screamed themselves hoarse, tourists snapped selfies, street musicians cooked up a cacophony and he was instantly lost in the multitudinous hoards of the sheer number of people.

A smile lit his face. New York was awesome.

 

The honeymoon period was over, decided Remus in mid-February. New York was not great, and he needed a change after three months in the city. No wonder New Yorkers are so stressed.

He wished he could be travelling then. Remus had always wanted to travel, but he had neither means nor money to do so.

 

Sirius wanted to go home, decided Sirius in mid-February. All his plans were failing. Although he loved to travel, he wanted to experience cultures and have fun. Not shadow someone else the whole time.

Through his binoculars, he observed De Romano starting to move. He meeting a bearded man with dark glasses. They exchanged some sort of package. Why is he meeting a man in the middle of a park in Pamplona?

Sirius was in Pamplona, Spain now, and desperately trying to ruin De Romano's life. He also really, really wanted to go home.

 

As soon as Remus opened his eyes in his new apartment at the East 92nd and 1st on an early March morning, he could tell he was going to have a hard time adjusting. He had been rudely woken up by a screech of traffic downstairs. Oh, wait, that was his downstairs neighbor. He cursed. Only two more weeks until spring break. But what am I going to do during spring break?

He reviewed his options as he took the M4 that morning. Go party down at Miami? Definitely not, who would he party with? Visit mum? What a great visit that would be. His dad wouldn't react very well to that. As he scrolled through Instagram and through all the posts about people who were already partying and overseas, he wished he could go somewhere out of the city. Somewhere in Europe. Somewhere full of history. But also somewhere full of adventure.

Paris? No, it's too expensive. Rome? No, not after last time. Prague? No, too secluded. London.

Ah, London.

Of course, there was the minor issue that it was too expensive. I'll figure something out.

All through the day, Remus allowed himself to imagine the fanciful scenarios that rushed through his head. Walking through the London fog as Sherlock Holmes did. Wearing a trench coat and strutting through the streets with hot chocolate. Having a great girl on his arm. Or guy.

It was no secret that Remus Lupin swung both ways. He had not told his family, but the entire city of San Francisco probably new. Most of the people at his university knew, too. But he had only been attracted to one boy in his whole life, and he did not think it would happen ever again.

As he walked through the rapidly emptying corridors of the university, he came upon a small classroom. It was jam-packed, well over its capacity of a hundred. There seemed to be four hundred students crammed into the tiny lecture hall. "What on Earth is happening here?" a testy voice said from behind Remus.

It was Dorcas Meadowes. Her dark, ebony hair was twisted into two Dutch braids and her deep blue lips were curved downwards into a frown. With her septum piercing, numerous tattoos, tattered jeans and shredded sweatshirt along with a leather jacket, she looked intimidating. She fixed her characteristic wolf stare on Remus, the one she was so known for. "I'm supposed to be helping out with the sound system here for the presentation but NO ONE WILL MAKE WAY!"

She said the last part in a shrill voice and the babbling crowd instantly fell silent. Her lips curved sideways into a smirk. "Thank you," she told the crowd. "Now, make a pathway so I can start the presentation."

The crowd parted without question. Dorcas fixed Remus with her stare, but then smiled. This sudden change in her facial features made Remus at ease instantly. She had a smile that was so lovely, it could be a weapon. Her face lost some of its frigid beauty and took on the essence of a little girl. "See you," she said in a small whisper.

Before he could reply, she disappeared through the crowd and reappeared on the stage. She quickly checked the wiring and microphones and said in microphone, "You can take over now, Mr. Dumbledore."

Mr. Dumbledore turned out to be an old man with a silver beard and silver hair. He had a crooked nose, but he walked in a straight, upright manner, like a man who still had his wits. He in introduced himself as the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And then the things that followed were too fantastical to be true, and even as Remus made his way home, his mind would not stop thinking the tumultuous thoughts that he tried to escape.

Dumbledore had said that he could apply to a job at the Met for the Spring Break. However, because the Met was collaborating with the British Museum that year, one lucky employee would be able to go and work in the British Museum. Accommodation, flight tickets and meal would all be free and provided. The job opening was for someone to work with Entanglement Theory, something that Remus was comfortable with.

The only catch? You needed to write an essay to get in.

He had never been good at writing essays. However, what did he have to lose? What should he even write? Why not tell the truth?

And so he started off. London has always fascinated me. Walking through its streets swirling with fog would be an incredible honor. I would love to go to London this…

 

Sirius Black was in an incredibly weird situation that windy, early March morning, but it was still better than that time when he had almost fallen into the Thames.

Sirius Black was shepherding sheep in Australia. However the situation had run sour when he had accidentally run a tractor over a squirrel somehow and was too traumatised to continue. Therefore, in order to remedy the situation, he had run to the nearby Coles and was now committing arson by setting fire to the elevator.

Okay, maybe it was a little weirder than that time he had fallen into the River Thames. Almost fallen.

He looked at Andromeda Black, his cousin, also his partner in breaking the Australian law at the moment. Her dark hair fell over in the elegant and haughty ringlets that the Black family possessed. Her eyebrows curved upwards in a bored, supercilious, arch and she drawled, "Now, why are we doing this?"

Although her exterior was calm and politely bored, Sirius could sense she was not a happy camper. The Blacks had been taught to keep their emotions under wraps and all the Blacks were cursed with the mouth-full-of-marbles, aristocratic accent. In his mother's case, it meant having an expression that was akin to one that was smelling dung.

Swallowing his irritation, Sirius smiled in the same bored, detached way and replied, "You know why, Andy. We've got to stop De Romano from getting to London."

"Couldn't we have done that in London?" This time, her drawl definitely held the sarcastic undertone that the Blacks used to talk to people of lower status.

"Andy, he needs to be stopped from getting into London! He must be terminated! The target must be hit!" This time Sirius dropped the whole Black accent. Why doesn't she get it?

Andromeda was smirking. He knew that she knew that Sirius only lost his accent when he had an outburst of emotions he couldn't handle. Instead, he developed a fast-paced lilt that swallowed half his words. She knew she shouldn't have been riling him up, but her vindictive Black nature wanted the satisfaction. This was especially because she had ended up in a less-than-ideal situation. Sirius knew all of this, but he was still irritated.

"Fine, I'll help. What should I do?" He wordlessly handed her a flaming torch and motioned for her to follow his example. He threw his flaming torch at the elevator shaft after checking that the elevator was currently not in use.

They were standing in an empty parking lot on the roof of a Coles Supermarket in Eucla. They could peer down the elevator shaft that was currently starting to go up in flames. Andromeda threw her torch in as well.

Looking very worried, she said, "How much time do we have until they find out?"

Sirius wanted to get back at her. "I don't know, Andy. Why are you worried? I'm sure Daddy Dearest will bail us out and pay them to keep this out of the papers. Dishonor to the family and all that."

She scowled as the cool breeze from the ocean lightly lifted up the hems of her floral skirt. "When did you forget that we are the estranged members of the Black family?"

"The Black Sheep of the Blacks," Sirius replied, grinning.

"Why are you enjoying yourself so much?" Andy was rapidly losing her cool exterior. "Sirius, when are we getting out of here?"

"I really don't know," Sirius said, realizing he actually had no clue what to do after the arson part.

See, the grand plan had been to trap Adriano De Romano in Australia for two extra days. De Romano was Sirius' biggest rival. He was known to play dirty and in the past, he had stolen many of Sirius' ideas, pitched them to their boss and had been given a promotion as one of the Assistant Archaeologists at the British Museum. To make matters worse, he had also recently gotten a job with National Geographic (Sirius' second job) just to spite him.

However, when Sirius had learnt the Head Program Co-ordinator position was open for the March Break, he had leapt up to grab it. Unfortunately, so had someone else: Adriano De Romano. The interviews were on Wednesday, two days from now.

De Romano had been on a mission in Central Italy when Sirius had received that news. Sirius had decided the only way to secure the position was to stop De Romano from giving the interview. As a result, Sirius had been trying to trap De Romano in various countries. The plan here had been to trap De Romano in the supermarket for a while. The Australian law stated that if a crime had been committed in the proximity of a foreigner, the foreigner could be detained. Sirius had followed De Romano into Australia from Cambodia. His plans hadn't exactly gone great in the other countries.

First, he'd headed to Rome and stayed at the same hotel where De Romano was staying. Then he'd stolen De Romano's truck and deliberately crashed it, hoping that when police arrived to the scene they'd arrest De Romano. However, he had stolen the wrong truck.

He suddenly remembered something. "Hey, Andy, why did Dora panic so much when I told both of you I had crashed the truck into the Tiber and all the containers had fallen in?"

Andy was looking very worried now due to the acrid smell of smoke and shouts from below, but momentarily a perplexed look came onto her face. "I don't know, Sirius," she replied slowly. "She also has been very distant for the past few months. It's almost like Rome changed her."

"What do you mean Rome changed her?" Sirius asked uneasily, staring into the deep azure sea on the horizon. They really did need to move on.

"She seems guilty for something. I heard her mumbling something in her sleep about a man in trouble in Rome." Andy seemed troubled, and a million miles away.

"A man in trouble?" Sirius prodded further.

"Something unsettled me so much yesterday. She asked me the oddest question yesterday," Andy revealed.

"What did she ask?"

The cries of "Fire! Fire!" had gotten louder and louder.

Andy glanced around furtively. "You can't tell anyone."

"Bloody hell, Andy, what is it?" Sirius was starting to become highly concerned.

She dragged him by his arm and crouched by the wall. "She asked me," Andy began in a whisper. "She asked me, 'Mum, would you love me if I told you I had killed someone?'"

Sirius' stomach coiled into snake-like knots. "What did you say?"

"I didn't know what to say!" Andy's voice grew anxious. "I asked her if she was in trouble. I said I would love her. Oh, Sirius, I think my Father tracked her down in Rome and made her do something she didn't want to."

"You mean Dear Old Uncle Cygnus tracked found her and do something to her in Rome? When we were at the party?"

Andromeda nodded sadly. "The party was such a bad idea on so many accounts."

Sirius knew the exact other incident that she was referring to. It was the Necklace Thing. Something that they did not talk about anymore. He planned on ignoring that part of the night. "So how do we make it better?" He asked with determination. He was so sick of the Black family. How dare they go after a little child?

Downstairs, pandemonium was brewing. "Who did this?" a woman cried out.

"Did someone check the roof?" a voice said, much closer to them.

"Bugger!" Sirius grabbed Andy and jumped into a corner. "We have to shimmy down the pipe!"

"I'm wearing a skirt," Andy grumbled but made her way to the pipe and lowered herself down. Sirius followed swiftly and managed to lower himself down just in time for a few people to appear on the roof with a police officer.

Quickly shimmying down the four floors, they landed in a ditch near a willow tree. Through the branches, they spied the police putting up barricades. De Romano was loudly arguing. "What do you mean no one can leave this property? I have a plane to catch at two today!"

"Sorry, sir. If you are a foreigner you must be detained for at least thirty-six hours."

Sirius was guffawing to himself. "Andy! It worked!"

"You idiot!" Andy elbowed him. "How are we getting out of here?"

Sirius hadn't thought it through. "Just slip under the tape?"

"No," Andy whispered. "We'll be seen. We need a plan."

Suddenly a girl with black hair and rosy cheeks burst into tree. She held a panicked expression. "Who're you?"

"Who're you?" Andy drawled in the laid-back Black drawl used with strangers.

"Hestia Jones," the girl replied. "Look I saw you two do it."

"Do what?" First rule of Black family lying: deny, deny, deny.

In order to blend in with the locals, Sirius had pretended to be a farmer and had been trying to shepherd sheep. However, as previously mentioned, his control over the tractor was not very good: the sheep had run off to graze and he had run over a squirrel. This was because he had gotten distracted. He had seen De Romano walk into the nearby Coles and had suddenly remembered the plan.

To Hestia, he simply said, "I was shepherding sheep." Second rule of Black family lying: speak the partial truth.

"Look, I know what you did. I was going to do the same thing."

"You were?" asked Andy in surprise.

"It's a long story. See, I'll help you get out of here." She paused, smiling smugly a little.

"What do you want in return?" Sirius sighed.

"You to be my alibi. You and I went to Sydney for the weekend. You're my British boyfriend."

"I like blokes," blurted out Sirius. In reality, Sirius had never been attracted to blokes.

"And I like girls," answered Hestia. "But no one needs to know that for this purpose. And it's only if anyone asks."

Sirius agreed. "Why not? Just get us out of here." Then, "What are you so badly involved in that you need to cover it up?"

"I didn't ask you why you set fire to the lift."

"Touché."

 

Moments later Hestia had somehow sweet-talked the police into letting them out. She drove them to the airport and left them there. Hestia made all of them follow each other on Instagram and warned Sirius to stay in touch.

As Sirius got onto the plane, he reflected how weird the whole thing truly had been. Who was Hestia Jones? He hoped never to see her again, or to get involved in Australian small-town intrigues again. Actually, he vowed never to get involved in any intrigues from this point onward. In fact, in Cambodia the Incident had happened. The Incident he would never think about.

In Cambodia, his cunning plan had somehow gotten so convoluted that it backfired and he had managed to double-cross himself. Therefore, the Incident had ended up happening.

The past two and a half months had been extremely weird for Sirius.

 

Remus clutched an acceptance letter in his hands.

An hour later, he was frantically making his packing list.

 

Victorious, Sirius grinned at his boss. Even though De Romano had somehow made it back in time, he had gotten the job. This Spring Break was going to be great.

An hour later, Sirius was making grand plans in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also if anyone's confused about the timeline:
> 
> December: Remus in Rome
> 
> January: Remus moves to New York
> 
> February: Sirius finds out about the job opening, starts following De Romano and Remus is frustrated
> 
> Early March: Sirius in Australia and Remus finds out about the British Museum job
> 
> Thanks! Things will get exciting in the next chapter, when they'll finally meet. Some Jily might be in there too!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basic summary of Chapter: everyone is involved in something slightly shady, and they all unknowingly end up in London

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you enjoy Chapter Two!

PART TWO: ESPOSIZIONE

CHAPTER TWO or 'THE ONE WHERE EVERYONE ENDS UP IN LONDON'

FRIDAY MARCH 10

James cursed Heathrow. Travelling made him cranky. It was the largest airport in the world. Which was good for England, but he was not looking forward to walking five miles in order to get to Terminal Two. James also cursed the reasons why he had come to England. He also cursed the stupid passport lines and the stupid customs line.

"James!" He heard an excited shout.

James rolled his eyes. At this moment he also hated his stupid best friend.

"Jamesie! Jamesie! Prongs!" Sirius bounded up to James on the ramp exactly like an overexcited puppy.

"Padfoot," greeted James wearily.

Sirius locked up James' bags and dragged him along to the nearest Costa.

"First of all," said Sirius. "We need-"

"-carrot cake and hot chocolate," finished James. He smiled. That was the meal the two of them always had together for the first time they met.

"And then," said Sirius. "We shall go forth into the great city of London!"

"We shall rule over it!" James was now fully affected with Sirius' enthusiasm.

"We shall plunder it!" Sirius declared, going though the door to the airport Costa.

"We shall make then slaves to the mischief lords!" James shouted.

This shouting turned everyone's heads towards the door. Basking in the attention, James strode towards the line. This was his domain. His home. His life.

Sirius and him had been best friends since childhood, ever since Sirius and his parents had moved to England from Italy when James had been six. Because James' parents worked for the MI6, he knew they had moved to England and changed their name to cover-up their Mafia-clad past. He had been warned to stay away from Sirius, but how could anyone stay away from their partner-in-crime?

As he strode towards the line, he got directly in line behind a redhead. He could here distinctly murmur, "What an arrogant toerag."

Instinctively, James took a deep breath of outrage and was instantly hit with the best scent his olfactory nerves had ever encountered. It smelled like the surf on a hot afternoon, the birch of an elm tree and a bucket of tuberoses.

He took his breath, let it out; his anger had dissapitated.

He smiled, all crankiness gone.

* * *

Travelling made Lily optimistic. She loved strolling through the wide avenues of the large airport. She loved watching the faces of people hurrying through: optimistic, worried and the crying when they saw their loved one. She loved the freedom travel gave her. She craved that feeling of adrenaline.

She walked towards the arrivals. She knew that no one would be there to receive her, but she didn't mind. She was going to have a grand time in London. Then she reminded herself that she was in London strictly for business purposes- especially since the Pamplona Operation had gone so terribly. How had she failed to catch Oscar Sánchez, the famous Spanish soccer player Rogelio's father? His father had been meeting Rogelio's girlfriend's brother, Adriano De Romano. She frowned. She had had to deal with Chiara De Romano more times than she could count. The movie star had gotten herself into several scrapes with the law in the U.S. That whole family was bad news.

In fact, best just avoid Rogelio and Oscar Sánchez. Also Chiara and Adriano De Romano.

She entered the small Costa opposite the of the WHSmith book store, looking forward to the strong, black coffee and carrot cake to wake her up fully. She got in line beside the counter. She had a slight headache, but the café was nice and quiet.

Well, until the Devil himself walked in. "We shall then make them slaves to the mischief lords!" The Devil exclaimed.

_Oh good lord, do boys ever grow into men?_ She rolled her eyes, observing him. He was dressed fashionably with ripped jeans and a denim jacket. _He went for the Canadian Tuxedo look?_ His messy black hair fell over his forehead, almost masking his twinkling hazel eyes underneath his round glasses. She felt an unusual twinge in her stomach as she observed him. She could not look away. _Why can't I look away? Maybe because he's so annoying._

As soon as he got into line behind her, she could feel the heat emanating from him. Flustered and irritated, she muttered, "What an arrogant toerag."

She could hear him inhale deeply; this angered her further.

She frowned, all optimism gone.

* * *

Remus was loving London. It was just three minutes and he wanted to live there already. After a long and boring plane ride, he was thankful to stretch his legs in the long walk to Terminal Two. He admired the beautiful architecture. He breathed in the scents of London. He heard the lovely sounds. He liked London so far, and he was sure he was going to like it even more as soon as he got out of there.

But first he needed coffee.

He spotted a Costa nearby with two doors. He went for the door on the right. As soon as he entered the door on the right, he breathed in the lovely smell of coffee. However, his pleasant thoughts were interrupted by a woman's shrill scream: "You did that on purpose!"

A red-haired woman was standing by the coffee stand, completely drenched in hot chocolate. A smirking young man with twinkling glasses stood with an empty cup. "Sure did not," he replied. Remus recognized him with some surprise as James Potter, his classmate. _What a coincidence._

The redhead seemed to swell with anger. She was about to cut in (probably with a scathing remark) when a sudden blur of a man with curly black hair grabbed them both by the cuffs of their sleeve and dragged them out, furiously whispering, "You're making a scene!"

Remus shrugged. It was London, nothing that could go wrong would go wrong.

* * *

Sirius looked at James who looked like he was high on the best heroin in the world. He had taken a deep breath like he was angry (probably at the redhead in front who had made a snide comment) and then had relaxed like he was having a great vacation.

"Prongs, are you okay?" asked Sirius.

"Sirius," said James in a strange voice. "Did you know I have an ocean-facing condo in Manhattan? Did you know I'm at the top of my class in biotechnology? Did you know I have so much money?"

"James, what—" Sirius muttered, feeling bewildered.

"Did you know everyone wants to go out with me? I bet you anyone in this room would date me." James declared to the world.

Sirius frowned and realized something. He looked at the red-head in front of them. _When boys want to impress girls, they boast. It's the same when they're men._ Sirius snorted. He would never do that. He made himself a mental promise to never be this pathetic. _Best help James out now._

"Go ahead, then. I dare you to ask any girl out," Sirius intoned, with the haughty, the-Blacks-are-Bored accent.

James smirked smugly and tapped the girl.

"What?" snapped the red-head, turning around so fast that she almost whipped Sirius in the face with her long and luscious curls. D _amn, she has hair almost as good as me._ James appeared to have been struck mute. Sirius wondered if he was admiring her beauty just as he was.

_She's as good-looking as me._ Dark, deep, red messy curls framed her pale and lovely face. Her visage had a haughty stature and high cheekbones. Her arched eyebrows were elegantly poised above her eye. And her eyes were far by the most beautiful eyes that Sirius had ever seen. They were a deep, deep, green. They were almond-shaped and emeralds. They held a strange fire, a strange resistance within them. They were eyes you couldn't help but be drawn too.

But she, as beautiful as she was, failed to interest or excite Sirius. In fact, Sirius had been aroused no girls so far. Yes, he had slept around a lot, but that was because he had never experienced the ecstasy that others talked about. He was trying so hard to find those elusive feelings that others talked about. He even doubted that those feelings existed. He was sure that no girls would ever excite him.

Right now, James felt different. He had finally regained control of his mouth, but not control of his brain. "Wow, you look fantastic," he breathed out, almost reverently.

"Ugh, perv, go hit on someone else," the red-head sneered. She had an American accent. She turned around to face the cashier and began to order. "May I have a dark roast—"

"No, no ,no!" exclaimed James fervently to the cashier, trying to be debonair or suave. James was neither, and Sirius was sure if he opened his mouth he would dissolve into a fit of laughter. "Let me order for the lady."

"Maybe the lady doesn't need you to order for you," the girl exclaimed in anger.

"Of course, everyone needs me," James said ruffling his hair.

"Stop doing that!" the girl said in anger.

"Doing what?" James paused and ruffled his hair in confusion.

"That. Messing up your hair. You think you're so cool, but you're NOT!" Clearly the hair was not the only fiery thing about this girl. Her temper was a force to be reckoned with.

"Are you ordering anything?" The poor cashier broke in.

"Yes," said the girl before James could say anything. "Carrot cake and black coffee." Slapping down the money, she stomped away before he could say anything.

"Wait!" James cried. "Will you go out with me?"

The girl stopped and turned around with the blinding speed again. "Not a chance in hell! Why're you so arrogant? I would rather go out with a...a...a Giant Squid!"

The whole cafe fell silent. _R.I.P James' ego._ James looked at her in confusion as she stomped away. "What did I do?" he turned to Sirius with a woebegone expression.

Swallowing his laughter, Sirius arranged his face into a sympathetic expression said, "I don't know, mate. What could you possibly have done that made her mad?"

"Are you ordering anything?" the cashier asked rather testily.

"Uh, yes, two hot chocolates and two carrot cakes," said Sirius hastily stepping forward.

"I'll go get the drinks," James offered, with a strange glint in his eye. Sirius did not like this. _Please don't turn my best mate into a pathetic idiot._

Sirius decided to wait for the cake. He was just looking at a well-dressed stranger who had entered the door from the right. Then he heard a shriek.

"You did that on purpose!" The girl was now drenched in hot chocolate. _James, really?_

"Sure did not." James used the same insolent voice he had used on teachers in high school.

They were making a scene. Sirius wanted to face-palm. To his growing horror, he saw the well-dressed stranger was now looking sorry he had entered the cafe. Sirius could not stand being embarrassed for one more second. Grabbing the cakes, he walked quickly, grabbed both of them, and walked straight out despite the girl's vehement protests.

Sirius did not like this. It was London, and everything that could go wrong would go wrong.

* * *

Nymphadora Tonks was having a good day for the first time since that fateful day in Rome. She was at the airport with her mother who had to pick up a book from the W.H. Smith Bookstore. "Couldn't we have gone to a closer one?" she had asked her mother.

"No, Dora, it's an overseas shipping," her mother had replied patiently while the chauffeur parked the car.

"Can I buy a few books?"

"Of course baby, why not?" her mother had smiled at her.

And so, now she was standing in the bookstore with her arms full of books at the cashier. Her mother added her package to the top and bought them. Nymphadora was happy; nothing made her happier than books. She was an extremely clumsy girl; she did not like the playground very much.

Her stomach grumbled, and her mother heard. "Are you hungry?" Nymphadora nodded. "Then we'll go by the Costa nearby and eat something."

Nymphadora nodded eagerly. As they walked to the Costa across, they suddenly saw Cousin Sirius.

Cousin Sirius looked like he was very irritated. He was with an angry girl with beautiful red hair (who was for some reason drenched in hot chocolate) and he was with James—

"James!" cried Nymphadora happily. She liked James very much, she did. She ran towards him and put her arms around his waist. She heard a sudden, surprised gasp from the angry girl.

"Dora!" James exclaimed, laughing a little. He turned to Cousin Sirius. "Did you bring your cousin?Thanks mate!"

"No, _I_ brought her," her mother interrupted and fixed Nymphadora with a disapproving glare. "Dora, what have I told you about not accosting people like that?"

"Sorry, mum," Dora mumbled, a little ashamed.

"Don't be a downer, Andy," Cousin Sirius said. "We were just having some fun weren't we, Dora?"

At that moment the girl cleared her throat. Nymphadora's mother turned towards the girl with the old haughty expression. "And you are—"

"Lily Evans," the girl said angrily. "And your cousin's friend poured hot chocolate on me!"

Her mother pursed her lips. "James, Sirius, what have I told you about not causing trouble?"

As her mother went off into a long spiel and was apologizing to Lily Evans on James' behalf, Nymphadora turned her attention to the cafe inside. Her stomach grumbled impatiently. As the other door opened, a very well-dressed man stepped out. Nymphadora's blood ran cold and she looked around to see if her mum was paying attention. Sirius, her mum, James and Lily Evans were too wrapped up in the argument.

Were ghosts real? Did they drink coffee? Would one ghost in particular hate her? And if alive, was Remus Lupin in London to track her down? No, he had to be a ghost.

"Come on, Dora," her mother pulled on her sleeve, apparently done with the lecture. "Let's go eat."

But Dora was not hungry anymore.

Nymphadora had been having a great day. And just like that, Nymphadora's great day turned bad.

* * *

James was having a terrible day for the first time since a long time.

Already cranky from travelling, James had seen the most beautiful girl in the world (he was going to marry her her and have seven kids with her, he knew). Then she had said no when he had asked her out. And as she had been walking away, the full force of what had happened had hit James with full force, leaving him confused and with an awful, twisting sensation in his stomach.

_I don't even know her name._ She was a _total stranger._ She would leave this cafe, and then what? He didn't live in London anymore. And this was an airport. She could be from any country in the world, including French Polynesia or Greenland. What did he know? He didn't know anything about her. He would never see her again. So when she had started walking away, he had panicked and had desperately wanted to stall her from leaving.

So the Hot Chocolate Thing had happened. Sirius had dragged them out, planning to do something to fix the mess (because James had no idea how to). "So," said Sirius. "What happened?"

" _What happened?"_ His future lover's eyes (beautiful, beautiful green eyes) narrowed to slits. Maybe you should ask your friend smiling like a doofus over there!"

"Hey," objected James, because someone had to defend him. "I am not a doofus!"

"You look like a doofus when you smile at me like that," his future lover snapped. _She looks so beautiful when angry._

She has a tongue of fire, thought James fondly. Aloud he said, "I would gladly admit I am a doofus if you go out with me."

Clearly that was the wrong things to say because her high cheekbones contorted with rage even more, giving her beauty sharper definition, something that only made James' heart twist. _I've thought about the word 'beauty' at least twenty times in the last five minutes. I'm a lovesick, old, pathetic fool._

Clearly, Sirius thought the same. "Hold on, before this gets anymore out of hand, I just want to say that—"

"JAMES!" A bundle of red wrapped itself around James' legs.

"Dora!" James was very surprised. He thought Sirius was the only one there to pick him up. He asked Sirius, "Did you bring your cousin?Thanks mate!" He really did like Dora. And it didn't hurt that Lily was looking at him with a softer expression. _Of course, a cute little girl could soften hearts._

"No, _I_ brought her," a new voice said from behind James. He turned around and saw Andromeda standing next to Sirius. He was suddenly aware of how much they looked alike. With the same, aristocratic, proud expressions and strikingly dark looks, they could've been twins. Their hooded, grey eyes shimmered mischievously, and their very smiles showed the insanity and cruelty that ran through he blacks.

James shivered. He hoped that Nymphadora got her fathers looks as she grew. Not that Sirius was all that bad looking, he just didn't trust the rest of the Blacks. "Dora, what have I told you about not accosting people like that?" Andromeda asked.

"Sorry, mum," Nymphadora said, burying her face in the hem of James' shirt.

"Don't be a downer, Andy," Sirius said, clearly trying to regain control of the situation. especially since he couldn't control the hot chocolate one. "We were just having some fun weren't we, Dora?"

At that moment, Lily had had enough. She girl cleared her throat. Andromeda turned the classic Black eyes on her and said, contempt dripping from her tone, "And you are—"

"Lily Evans," his future lover said brusquely. "And your cousin's friend poured hot chocolate on me!"

Instantly, Andromeda's haughty expression dropped, and James could see the disapproval as she pursed her lips. "James, Sirius, what have I told you about not causing trouble?"

But as she continued her lecture, James was definitely not listening. He was much too elated. And as Andromeda left, Lily Evans turned around angrily, shot a last contemptuous glare in their direction and stalked off. Sirius gave him a sympathetic look (that bastard— had he ever been shot down?) and said with a shrug, "Sorry, mate."

James grinned at him. "Don't be, Padfoot, old friend," he said gaily. "Because I'm not."

"Good," said Sirius, looking relived suddenly. "Because she was just a girl."

"No, no, no," James said. "She was _the_ girl."

"James," said Sirius with a bit more force. "She was just a girl. One girl. It isn't going to make a difference. You can't turn into those stupid, pathetic people in love. Come on."

"Sirius," James said, feeling slightly hysteric because he had the urge to laugh at Sirius' confusion. "You'll understand when your time comes."

"That won't happen, enjoy being pathetic," Sirius guffawed.

"Lily Evans," said James dreamily.

_Lily Evans._

James had something invaluable now: a first name and a last name.

James had been having a terrible day. And just like that, James' bad day turned great.

* * *

Alice Fortesque was not excited to be in London for the holidays. She had made it until JFK in New York, when she had gotten a phone call from Caradoc Dearborn. "Yes, Doc," she had said wearily. _Please don't tell me I have a mission._

"Alice! Are you out of the country yet?"

Alice had known it was pointless to lie, Caradoc simply knew everything. As the Head of the CIA, there was nothing that could be hidden from him. "No, sir," she said, gritting her teeth.

"Well, then, Agent Alice," said Caradoc cheerily, "Make your way to Terminal Five. Catch British Airways Flight 182 in twenty minutes. You're going to England."

"London?" blurted out Alice. "Sir, that is so far from where I'm going! You see, I was just going to go to–"

"–Bora Bora, I know, but you have to go to England."

Alice hesitated. Sensing it, Caradoc added, "You'll be staying in a five star hotel. I'll get you a pay raise. After you get back, I will personally make sure you get a long vacation."

Alice sighed. "What do I have to do?"

"Well, you'll be tracking down Fabian and Gideon Prewett in various parts of England. They are working for Alastor Moody, and I don't trust him."

"Mad-Eye Moody?" Alice had blurted out. "You don't trust the United States _Head of Defense?"_ The Head of Defense was a well-loved figure seen as a patriot and had been given the name "Mad-Eye" because nothing got past him. He was said to be so paranoid, you couldn't even keep your toilet schedule private. He knew everything about everyone. And now Caradoc wanted her to get past _him?_

_"_ That's correct," Caradoc said, extremely cheerfully. "He's up to something."

"Shouldn't you get a _CIA_ Agent, then?" Alice said, confused at his logic. "I work for the FBI." The CIA dealed with the external affairs after all, and the FBI was only allowed to deal with issues within the United States.

"Let's just say that you're going to London on vacation. So pretend to have fun."

"What? I'm supposed to enjoy myself? Caradoc?"

But the phone had cut.

And now, Alice Fortesque was stepping into Heathrow.

* * *

Hestia Jones was just stepping out of Heathrow. Well, to be honest, at least she wasn't on the run from the cops this time. In fact, she hadn't done anything since last month, when she had let two arsonists escape Australia. But that wasn't that bad of a thing, was it? Anyway, she was in England for a mission, and she needed to get it done. It was purely a work-related trip. Purely business, no pleasure. She had been very certain of that until she had seen Kingsley Shacklebolt.

She had been rushing out of the airport when she had bumped into a very nice young man who had helped her with her bags. They had chatted, and she had his name. No number, no e-mail, no Instagram, but just the name.

However, she was not selected for the England Mission for nothing. She had tracked him down on the terrible Costa cafe WiFi in minutes.

As she was doing this, the cafe door opened. She looked up and her mouth fell open. Benjy Fenwick, the person of the most interest, had just stepped in. She smiled. London was going to be easy.

Then, she went back on Instagram to stalk Kingsley more.

There was a slight catch: he was a policeman. _Well, hell._

* * *

Dorcas, Marlene, Emmaline, Frank and Benjy were very excited. They were on vacation, and everything would be fun. As they entered the Costa cafe, they started to chat. Benjy was enjoying himself, too. This was purely pleasure, and no business.

Then a sudden thought struck him. "We might even run into James, won't we, Marly?" asked Benjy.

"No," said Dorcas. "He told Marlene and I that he was going to Leeds."

"You mean the city in Yorkshire?" asked Benjy. He knew some of basic English Geography.

"Wait," interjected Frank. "He told me he was going to Inverness." Now Benjy was seriously confused.

"Inverness?" repeated Dorcas. "In the _Scottish Highlands_ , Inverness?"

"Why on Earth would he lie?" Marlene's high tempered flared. "He has no reason to lie!"

"Maybe you misheard, Frank," Benjy offered.

"No, I did not," insisted Frank. "Yeah, why would he lie?"

"Maybe," said Emmaline, quietly, "He's going to both places."

There was silence for a few minutes. "We may have jumped to conclusions," admitted Marlene.

"Yeah," agreed Dorcas, but she still looked suspicious.

"Where are Gideon and Fabian?" Benjy asked, always taking stock of people. He liked to 'stay in the know.'

"Oh," the entire group chorused.

Frank explained. "They, for sure, are in Cardiff." _In Wales._

* * *

In fact, Fabian and Gideon were most definitely not in Wales; but they had had the sense to keep their lies consistent. Checking out of Heathrow customs, Fabian's stomach grumbled. "I'm hungry, Gid," said Fabian. "Let's drop by the Costa."

As they made their way to the cafe, his twin suddenly grasped his hand and said, "We'll grab lunch somewhere else, Fab."

"Why?' asked Gideon bewildered. _Why does he look like he's panicking suddenly?_

Gideon pulled him behind a pillar. "Two reasons," he said firmly. "Look inside."

Fabian peered into the glass and realized why. He saw all their university friends inside. "Frank...Emmaline...Marlene...oh, there's Dorcas...and there's Benjy," Fabian said, counting them off. "Thank God we didn't step in there."

Gideon grinned. "You know what Moody would say. _Constant vigilance._ Look closely, brother. You're missing something else."

Fabian looked around. Other than his friends, the sole occupant of the cafe was a pink-cheeked young girl with flyaway black hair. "Her?" he asked blankly.

Gideon pulled out his phone. "Yes, you sodding idiot, her! The target! Hestia Jones!" And sure enough, there she was, Moody's target.

"We can't let her see us," Fabian said, jumping into flight mode. "Come on."

And thirty seconds later, they were stepping out into the great, grey, gloomy metropolis of London.

* * *

SATURDAY MARCH 11

Sirius was excited as soon as he got up. James and him would soon be tracking his family down. That was the real reason that James had come to London: to track down the Blacks.

Remus was wandering London, enjoying himself.

Emmaline, Benjy, Frank, Marlene and Dorcas were messing around and enjoying themselves, too.

Hestia Jones was following them around.

Fabian and Gideon were tracking _her._

_They_ were being followed by Alice Fortesque.

Alice Fortesque's co-worker, Lily Evans, was spying on the De Romano family.

The De Romano family was trying to find the Blacks as well.

And the Blacks were hunting their eldest son and his best friend: Sirius and James.

But more on that later.

* * *

SUNDAY MARCH 12

Remus started his new job.

Alice did too, without much enthusiasm.

Hestia was trying to, but kept running into Kingsley on purpose.

Fabian and Gideon also kept running into her on purpose.

Emmaline, Benjy, Frank, Marlene and Dorcas were still enjoying.

Lily was enjoying her spying.

Sirius and James were enjoying theirs too. The next day, Sirius would start his job as the Museum Coordinator.

* * *

MONDAY MARCH 12

Remus, having settled into his job quite nicely, was liking it very much at the museum. They were sitting at the science table in the Left Hall, explaining people about the latest discoveries in science. He was chatting with Arthur Weasley about his travels and accomplishments. "I love physics, you see. Physics has a subtle romanticism to it—"

"Remus," said Arthur kindly. "You're beginning to use poetry in daily life again. In fact, should I just call you World Traveler Extraordinaire?" At that very moment, his phone rang. He cursed. "We got a new boss," he said answering Remus' unasked question. "He's very popular—everyone loves him—the only reason with which he can get away with overworking us. I need to go."

He came back five minutes later, but Remus, too engrossed in showing a little child how to make a circuit, did not notice. "Well," he said to Arthur after he had finished explaining. "Let me teach you how to make a circuit."

"I'd love to learn, World Traveler Extraordinaire," answered Arthur very enthusiastically.

As Remus was showing him how to make a circuit, a smooth, lilting voice said out of nowhere, "Are you always this smart?"

Remus looked up in surprise and was met with the most intense grey eyes he had ever seen. They possessed a spark of mischievousness, but they also held a deep maniacal glint: a hidden fire; a hidden insanity. "What?" asked Remus. "No, I'm not that smart."

"You are," insisted the man, eyes not leaving Remus'. He smiled. The action threw sharp relief over his face: it raised his already-high cheekbones to blinding heights. Crinkles formed around his eyes. Remus found himself knowing that if the man ever smiled at him like that, he would do anything. But something irritated him, made his stomach squirm. Remus hated the sensation, but he couldn't bring himself to stop talking to the man. Talking to the man was interesting. _Why am I being so poetic?_

"I am what?" Remus asked, forgetting what he had been talking about. He looked at Arthur who mimed, _he's the boss._

The Boss smiled. "Smart. You make me feel bad about myself," he half-whined. "I've been hearing your conversation. The way you've traveled, all the knowledge, and I bet, oh yes I bet—how are your grades?"

"Uh, I have a 4.0 GPA, but it's no big deal, I—"

"See, I was right! You have great grades, probably friends with everyone—you make me feel bad about myself! Wait, don't tell me you work for the NASA, too."

"Well," answered Remus, uncomfortably bewildered. "I'm leading a research project for them and I—"

"For the sodding _NASA?"_ The man continued, "You know what, I'm going to call you Mr. NASA, yes indeed, Sir NASA."

"What, no, wait what?" Remus stuttered.

"I mean you're just perfect, and you're probably going to become something in life," the man drawled lazily. "It'll be all over: Mr. NASA the Great—" _Good god, will he ever stop talking?_

"How do you know?" Remus asked, highly flustered. And exasperated. And irritated.

"Oh, I just know," the man continued with an exuberant gesture with a considerable amount of flair. "You're probably going to be on T.V and be talking about—"

"About what?" Remus asked wildly, close to giggling (and blushing) and still _very irritated._ Also, he absolutely did not giggle. And he needed to focus on his circuit.

"Anyway, you're gonna be on T.V, Mr. NASA" said The Boss, paying him no heed. "And then you're gonna talk about the strange bloke you met at the museum who knew you would end up being famous and some shit and how I knew you would be famous and stuff. Anyway," he got up suddenly. "I have to go. I'll be across the room, presenting by the dolphins, but, yeah, you make me feel bad about myself."

Remus. Did. Not. Compute. He did not comprehend. He was irked, he was at a loss about how to respond to this. _They're compliments, why are you so mad?_ Then a thought struck him. _Maybe I should flirt with him. You know, break a couple of British Hearts. Not fall in love myself, make him fall in love. Would be fun to mess around. No big deal, get your shit together, Remus Lupin._

Somewhat regaining his wits, Remus shouted to the retreating man. "At least tell me your name so I can—"

"—so you can what, Mr. NASA?" The man said with a smirk. "So you can mention it on T.V?"

"Yes," answered Remus before the man finished his sentence.

"Sirius," he answered and walked away with long, languid strides, wide shoulders thrown apart.

The man did not ask for his name. Anyway, Remus had something invaluable now: a first name.

But he did not care enough to know that yet.


End file.
